Refugee kids to access education through digital passport

by GIFT NDOLWANEJOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – MILLIONS of children in conflict and disaster prone situations are to receive education following a partnership between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Microsoft.

The partnership aims to tackle protection services gaps impacting on children in volatile regions, including the African continent.

UNICEF, in collaboration with technology powerhouse, Microsoft, and the University of Cambridge, are developing a ‘learning passport’ – a digital platform that will facilitate learning opportunities for children and young people within and across borders.

The learning passport will be tested and piloted in countries hosting refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons.

Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, said conflicts and natural disasters had disrupted learning opportunities and the quality of education for 75 million children and young people, many of whom had migrated across borders or been forcibly displaced.

“The learning passport is a great example of how we can use technological innovations to help the world’s future doers, thinkers and leaders – wherever they are and no matter the challenges,” Fore said.

It is currently a challenge to refugee and migrant children to access right level of education as host countries struggling to acknowledge and recognize the youngsters.

Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, said a digitally inclusive world started with ensuring that all youths, no matter their situation, had access to a digital education.

“This partnership is focused on creating scalable learning solutions to help millions of displaced and refugee children gain the skills they need to thrive,” Smith said.– CAJ News